Top seeds Louisville, Kansas stand in the way of historic All-Big Ten Final Four
There has never been a Final Four comprised entirely by teams from the same conference, but this could be the year it happens. The closest we ever came to having a conference tournament in the Final Four was 1985 when Villanova, Georgetown and St. John’s advanced from the Big East and were joined by Memphis State (now Memphis).
Losing streak is unfamiliar turf for No. 5 Kansas (The Associated Press)
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — After one of his team’s worst performances in years, Bill Self likened the Kansas team he put on the floor Wednesday night to ones fielded by Dr. James Naismith back when the school was playing games against the Topeka YMCA. The fifth-ranked Jayhawks had just lost to Big 12 bottom-dweller TCU, which had been winless in its first eight conference games. And before that was a loss to Oklahoma State that ended a nation-leading 18-game winning streak, and a 33-game run of success at Allen Fieldhouse. Two straight losses? Not much to complain about most places. Most places aren’t like Kansas. ”It hasn’t been our best week we’ve had around here all year,” said Self, whose team had gone 264 games without back-to-back losses. ”I think everybody in every profession goes through rough weeks.” Now tied with rival Kansas State for the Big 12 lead, the Jayhawks (19-3, 7-2) head to Oklahoma on Saturday trying to solve a litany of problems – and trying…
No. 4 junior Mudiay stockpiling offers
The ESPN 60′s No. 4 overall player, point guard Emmanuel Mudiay (Arlington, Texas/Prime Prep Academy), lists 10 offers and seems to be very excited and pleased with who is recruiting him. “I am blessed and thank God I am in this position,” he said. “I have offers from SMU, Baylor, Kentucky, Arizona, Texas, Kansas, Ohio State, Louisville, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.” Mudiay knows what he is looking for in a school and coach and said the right fit is more important than proximity to home.
Buckeyes find their stroke – Ohio State (Rivals)
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Following Ohio State’s loss to Kansas, head coach Thad Matta wanted to make a change. But it was the alteration that his players made that was a much more welcome switch for the No. 10-ranked Buckeyes (10-2) in their return to the court.
American U.-Kansas Preview (The Associated Press)
Despite starting alongside four seniors who reached the national championship game last season, Ben McLemore is becoming Kansas’ biggest star. The redshirt freshman and the sixth-ranked Jayhawks return from a week off following their most impressive victory to host American University on Saturday night. With Kansas’ only trip outside its home state through 10 games being a loss to Michigan State in Atlanta, McLemore had never played a true road game going into last Saturday’s visit to then-No. 7 Ohio State. The unfriendly crowd in Columbus clearly didn’t faze the St. Louis native as he scored a game-high 22 points in a 74-66 victory. “I kept my intensity, I just played my game,” McLemore said. The Jayhawks (10-1) led 56-52 with less than seven minutes remaining when McLemore scored six straight points to put his team in control. ” Ben McLemore is as good as any player in the country,” said Buckeyes coach Thad Matta, who also referenced the four senior starters giving …
Scott becoming identity of Buckeyes – Ohio State (Rivals)
COLUMBUS, Ohio — As is usually the case when a team loses a game to a lower ranked opponent at home, positives in Ohio State’s 74-66 loss to Kansas last Saturday were hard to come by. But if one existed, it’d be the stellar play of point guard Shannon Scott.
Ohio State’s Lack of Killer Instinct Against Duke and Kansas Reveals Weakness
Our story begins a little more than eight months ago in a distant land they call New Orleans. Ohio State was cruising against Kansas in the first half of its Final Four matchup…
Buckeyes lose their touch and a game, 74-66 (The Associated Press)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Moments after No. 7 Ohio State’s 74-66 loss to ninth-ranked Kansas on Saturday night, coach Thad Matta was asked about his team’s awful shooting. He answered by making a crack that was closer to gallows humor. ”I asked Santa for Christmas to improve our jump shooting,” he said. Maybe he’ll get that gift. But it sure didn’t arrive early. The Buckeyes misfired again and again – occasionally when they were unguarded, standing wide open on the perimeter – in losing to the Jayhawks (10-1). Ohio State shot just 31 percent (20 of 65 from the field) for the game, losing despite getting 16 more attempts. In the second half, with the game on the line, the Buckeyes made only 9 of 36 shots (25 percent), including a critical 10-minute span in which they didn’t have a field goal. Kansas plays good defense. On this night, it was hard to determine how much of the misfires were attributable to the Jayhawks’ defense and how much to an Ohio State team that has had difficulty…
Buckeyes go cold in loss to Kansas – Ohio State (Rivals)
Following a first half that looked like a classic heavyweight slugfest between two top-10 teams, No. 7 Ohio State struggled to find its shot after halftime, and as a result fell to No. 9 Kansas by a score of 74-66 on Saturday. The Buckeyes’ loss marked their third to the Jayhawks in the past 13 months.
Kansas stuffs Ohio State in Columbus, solidifying itself as a title threat (The Dagger: College Basketball Blog)
At the same time as the most of the rest of the Big 12 is underachieving, preseason favorite Kansas once again is exceeding expectations.
The Jayhawks, who have captured eight straight Big 12 titles, appear destined to extend that streak with ease after they punctuated a 10-1 start by going to Columbus on Saturday and taking down seventh-ranked Ohio State 74-66.
If recent dominant wins in Lawrence over Colorado, Richmond and Belmont showed Kansas would be tough to beat at home, then the Jayhawks’ ability to outplay a fellow top 10 team on the road suggests they’ll be pretty formidable anywhere. Kansas validated its status as one of the nation’s elite teams, showcasing unselfish offense, stingy defense and an emerging go-to player.
